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What are you most looking forward to this holiday season? Entertaining and clinking glasses with your best pals? Or maybe kicking back in front of the fire place in plaid flannel pants covered in holiday cookie crumbs?
The holiday season is a mixed bag for us this year—we get to indulge in a healthy balance of both. This will be our second Christmas staying put in Raleigh, but we need it. We spent the first six years of our life together traveling between Canada, PA, and NC for the holidays. So. We’ve earned it. We’ve learned to put guilty feelings aside and remind ourselves that it’s totally ok to take care of *us*. So much stress and pressure seems to come with the holidays and we’d like to make it… not about that.
But I wanted to pop in before the holidays get too hectic and feed your eyes with these sweet and savory salmon sliders slathered with cranberry sauce. They’re super easy, seasonal, and perfect for passing around a hungry crowd :)
Blue Circle Foods’ Happy Fish.
I feel like I haven’t touched salmon in ages! Which has me extra excited to partner up with Blue Circle Foods to bring you these tender, crisp, saucy, sweet, and savory sliders. These beauties couldn’t be easier to prepare thanks to Blue Circle Foods’ new product, Happy Fish. Four minutes poached, grilled, or sautéed, and you’re good to go.
Happy Fish, which can be purchased at Whole Foods, is made up of sustainably-raised salmon and is shaped into adorable fish-shaped nuggets—which makes them appealing to kiddos! (Bye, chicken nuggets.) The only ingredients in these gems are protein-packed salmon, sea salt, and white pepper; no preservatives, no nasty breading, and no weird fillers.
If you’re skeptical about frozen seafood, don’t be. There are good kinds and not-so-good kinds, just like with everything else. Happy Fish falls into the former group (and this is coming from someone who makes her own homemade fish sticks).
Happy Fish can be enjoyed on their own, thrown into pastas, tossed into stir frys, or sandwiched between itty bitty slider buns for a fun party favor with a healthy spin.
Sweet and Savory Salmon Sliders With Cranberry Sauce.
In my experience, salmon truly is the most versatile type of fish. It pairs with the sweet, the tart, and the savory; you can serve it over salad, stuff it into a taco, or enjoy it between bread. Even when it comes to cooking methods, you can smoke it, fry it, grill it, and poach it.
Initially, when I thought “salmon sliders”, my mind went straight to some kind of teriyaki and pineapple medley. But I wanted to keep things seasonal! So I went with cranberry sauce, toasted pecans, and crisp apples. And I’m so glad I did. This is a great way to use up any leftover cranberry sauce you might have kicking around over the holidays, but it’s also worth making a fresh batch if needed. I’ve provided my go-to recipe in the recipe card below.
If you make this dish, snap a photo and tag me on the Insta @killing__thyme! I love seeing your creations, and you could be featured in my monthly newsletter <3
Sweet and Savory Salmon Sliders With Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 Slider Buns
- 8 Fillets of Blue Circle Foods Happy Fish salmon fillets
- 1-2 tsp of olive oil
- 2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 cup cranberry sauce
- 1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
- 1 sweet apple, thinly sliced (I like to use gala or honeycrisp)
- Thinly sliced rings of red onion, about 2 rings per slider
- Fresh baby spinach leaves
- { Homemade Cranberry Sauce } *makes 3 cups
- 1 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries
- 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice, can also use good quality store-bought
- 1 TBSP orange zest
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan with the freshly chopped rosemary. Once the oil is shimmering, add the frozen Happy Fish fillets to the pan and cook for 4-6 minutes, or until fillets have an internal temperature of 145º F, flipping the fillets halfway through.
- While the fillets cook, slather 2 TBSP of cranberry sauce over the bottom of each slider bun. (I like to put the cranberry sauce on the bottom bun since it hits the palate first.) Then sprinkle toasted pecans* over the cranberry sauce on each slider bun.
- Carefully transfer the salmon fillets to each slider bun, placing over top of the cranberry sauce. Then, top the fillets with some apple slices, onions, and spinach. Place top slider bun on top and secure with a sandwich pick (optional).
- Homemade cranberry sauce
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the orange juice, orange zest, maple syrup, and 3/4 cup of water over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until everything is combined and fragrant.
- Rinse the cranberries and add them to the saucepan. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer until the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let the cranberry sauce cool completely before serving.
Notes
